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Palm Springs: Benefit to Keep a Great-Grandma Out of Jail | |
Date | Sunday February 03 |
Time | 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM |
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Location Details | |
CopyKatz Showroom and Backstage Bistro located at 210 South Palm Canyon in downtown Palm Springs |
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Event Type | Fundraiser |
Organizer/Author | |
MARIJUANA ANTI-PROHIBITION PROJECT
** AMERICAN HARM REDUCTION ASSOCIATION** **Compassion and Common Sense** **PO Box 739, Palm Springs CA 92263-0739** Phone ~ 760-799-2055 http://www.marijuananews.org ~ email to lanny [at] marijuananews.org PRESS RELEASE Female & celebrity impersonators at CopyKatz Show Bar to stage benefit to keep great grandma out of jail Show and auction seeks to raise $5,000 to pay a lawyer to defend senior citizen medicinal marijuana patients JoAnn and Rich McCabe arrested by San Bernardino sheriff's officers CONTACT: Lanny Swerdlow at 760-799-2055. **FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 8, 2008** Like many high desert senior citizens, JoAnn and Rich McCabe find that marijuana provides safe, effective symptomatic relief for the ailments of advancing years and use it specifically to manage their arthritis, insomnia and chronic back and joint pain. For following state law and doing what the voters of California said they could do, they are now paying a terrible price - a price they cannot afford. The San Bernardino District Attorney's office wants to put them in jail for up to three years and has assigned a special prosecutor to the case to make sure the 74-year-old great grandma does time. JoAnn and Rich McCabe live in the high desert in a mobile home near Old Women's Springs Road on the way to Landers. It is not an area known for the density of upper income residences. With a special prosecutor assigned to the case, they will need a lawyer steeped in medical marijuana law - a specialty sorely lacking in the public defenders office that is more use to defending robbers, car thieves, prostitutes, drug prohibition violators and drunk drivers than elderly medicinal marijuana patients. Lanny Swerdlow, director of the Marijuana Anti-Prohibition Project, states "unfortunately lawyers with the knowledge to defend medical marijuana patients do not come cheap - reasonable maybe, but not cheap. We need to raise $5,000 immediately to retain a lawyer. I have never tried to raise that much money before so we are very grateful that the owner, performers and staff of CopyKatz Showbar have volunteered to host a defense fundraiser to keep great grandma out of jail." Elyse Del Francia-Goodwin, owner of CopyKatz Showroom and Backstage Bistro is outraged at the arrest of two senior citizens, especially a great grandmother and has offered to hold a spectacular fundraiser at CopyKatz. Elyse is no stranger to the medicinal use of marijuana and says she owes a debt of gratitude to marijuana for the relief it brought her husband who suffered from Parkinson's disease. Marijuana was the only thing that worked. It controlled his non-stop tremors and gave him relief from his agonizing muscle weakness and helped prevent falls that were always terrifying to Elyse. Her husband's use of marijuana made life bearable for both of them. Elyse's husband was not a criminal and neither are the McCabe's. To that end, on Sunday, February 3 at 3 p.m. Elyse is hosting a McCabe Defense Fund fundraiser for the CopyKatz. The female and celebrity impersonators of CopyKatz are going to put on one very special show with the most outrageous auction ever held in the Coachella Valley. Everyone who comes to the fundraiser will have a great time and can feel great about keeping a great grandma out of jail. In addition to the sensational performers at CopyKatz, many of the merchants in downtown Palm Springs are helping to raise defense funds for the McCabes. Joy Meredith, owner of Crystal Fantasy and president of the Downtown Business Owners Association, will be helping to coordinate donations of auction items as well as encouraging businesses to donate 10% of their proceeds on Sunday, February 3 to their defense fund. "I would have trouble sleeping at night if I didn't do something to help keep grandma out of jail." The benefit JoAnn and Rich McCabe Defense Fund fundraiser will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, February 3 at the CopyKatz Showroom and Backstage Bistro located at 210 South Palm Canyon in downtown Palm Springs. The event is open to the general public. A $20 cover charge to attend will be requested with all funds from the cover charge and auction going directly to the defense fund. |
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